Saturday, July 21, 2018

“Part
of what we will be embarking on come this September is a really robust career
training programme in our secondary schools, as a number of our students are
still unaware of some of the new areas that they can go into. A lot of them
still have misconceptions about the areas that can bring them significant
wealth”.

State Minister for
Education, Youth and Information, Floyd Green speaking about TVET (technical
and vocational education and training) in secondary schools

Looks
like more Secondary schools, including the more traditional Schools, will be
going Technical.

The
State Minister, who was delivering the keynote address at the opening ceremony
for World Youth Skills Day 2018 on Tuesday July 17th 2018 at the Garmex HEART
Academy in Kingston. called for a “mindset change” among Jamaicans.

The
event featured plenary sessions on careers in the following areas:

1.Allied
health services

2.Automotive
industry

3.Booth
displays in information and communications technology (ICT)

4.Digital
animation

5.Engineering

6.Marketing
self for future jobs

7.Social
media and cybercrime

Discussions
are under way with the following actors to get this latest government
initiative on it way:

1.NPSC
(National Parenting Support Commission)

2.PTA
(National Parent-Teacher Association)

This
means more of the TVET courses may be coming to a Traditional High School,
specifically courses in the following five (5) areas:

1.Agriculture

2.Business
Education

3.Home
Economics

4.Industrial
Education

5.Visual
Arts

Students
with technical and vocational education and training, long seen as slow
learners are now been seen as hands-on or Kinesthetic learners whose skills are
in high demand. So why is this the case?

TVET and HEART
Trust/NTA - Emergent Occupations for Vision 2030

He
made these statements against the backdrop of the World Youth Skills Day 2018
held on July 17 at the HEART Trust/NTA’s Garmex Academy in Kingston.

Held
under the theme ‘New Skills for Emerging Jobs: Improving the Image of Technical
and Vocational Education and Training (TVET)’, it hope to encourage young
people, aged 15 to 25, to choose the path of acquiring and developing their
special skills and make a career out of it, builds their long terms earning
potential.

Already
the HEART Trust/NTA is focusing on training young people for employment in
areas of the economy that are currently experiencing high levels for
employment:

This
as there are 21st Century skills and training opportunities in these areas that
will be needed to enable Vision 2030 such as:

1.Hydroponics

2.Mechatronics

3.Mobile
robotics

4.3D
printing

5.Mobile
application development

6.Videography

7.Make-up
artistry (for film)

8.Renewable
energy (photovoltaic installation)

The
plan is to have the School guidance counselors provide advice to 5th form
students and parents on TVET careers. This would include telling about their
options for training, which would include the HEART Trust/NTA, as more than 67%
of our workforce is untrained and uncertified.

According to studies conducted by the HEART
Trust’s LMRI (Labour Market Research and Intelligence) Department, these areas
will result in new and emerging occupational areas such as:

1.3D
Visualisers

2.Big
Data Engineers

3.Renewable
Energy Specialists

4.Accident
Reconstruction Specialists

5.Robotics
Engineers

6.Mechatronic
Engineers

7.Smart
House Infrastructure Designers

8.Drone
Pilots

So
why did we not know this before? It all has to do without the perception of
skilled workers.

The Perception of
Skilled Labour in Jamaica - Increase foreign exchange as well as Nation
builders

This
is due to the misconception of Technical and Vocational people as being slow
learners.

Yet
interestingly, they have the greatest potential to earn the most money due to
the need for skilled workers internationally, as they are needed for the
Jamaican economy to experience growth as noted in the article “We
need more skilled workers — BOJ”, published Wednesday,
November 29, 2017 by Karena Bennett, The Jamaica Observer.

To
quote the State Minister for Education, Youth and Information, Floyd Green: “We
have a bad perception of going into skills. We want to ensure that we are going
into our schools with our guidance counsellors to have career training sessions
where we say to our young people, these are the new areas. We have to partner
with the PTAs to counsel the parents, because often they are the ones that
discourage our young people (from pursuing alternative career paths). We have
to explain to them that these are areas of growth”.

The
same can be said for the UK and the Middle East, where skilled workers are
needed to help in the building of infrastructure as those economies transition
from a Oil Exporting Economy to one based on Tourism, the Service Sector and
Renewables as noted in my MICO
Wars
blog article entitled “How
Jamaicans can find work in UK and Dubai”.

This
translates to increase foreign exchange inflows to the island via remittances.
More importantly, Jamaica needs skilled workers to help us build our own
infrastructure as well, poising the nation for growth.

But
for young people to take advantage of these opportunities, they need to be
properly trained as pointed out by Managing Director of the HEART Trust/NTA,
Janet Dyer, quite: “Today’s World Youth Skills Day is one of the many
activities that we are using to ensure that our young people in Jamaica get all
the opportunities that are available to get trained, certified and to
contribute to the productivity of this nation”.

So
not only are skilled workers going to be necessary for Jamaica to achieve
growth, but the potential for employment is getting better and better as their
field is expanding. Jamaicans needs to move now to have more TVET programs in
more Traditional High School as well as strengthen Technical and Vocational
Schools and improve the view people have of these skills area.

Kinesthetic
skills take time to learn, usually via observation, practice and repetition,
but will help the individual to earn for life.

One
of the great selling points about the console is its use of regular Bluetooth
Technology for its Joy-Cons and Switch Pro Controller. That potentially opens
up the possibility of using them on a computer of Apple Mac.

First,
I'll explain the Switch Pro Controller. The layout for the controller is as
shown below:

The
Pro Controller connects via the USB-C port on the bottom of the controller,
similar to the Xbox controller or the PS$ Controller The sync button for the
Pro Controller is located at the top of the controller, directly to the left of
the USB-C plug.

It
has a more traditional layout and can thus be played with a wider range of
games than the Joy-Con Controllers, which are made specifically for the
Nintendo Switch. Still, there are some hiccups as the Pro Controllers works
well with some games but not with others.

This
is because the Pro Controller uses DirectInput instead of the newer API XInput,
making it incompatible with many newer games. To get around this problem you'll
need to download the freeware program x360ce.

This
program translates DirectInput commands for XInput games and was specifically
designed for Xbox 360 controllers. So it's a match made in heaven for the
Switch Pro Controller.

Things to consider -
Bluetooth issues and Older Games play well

Oh..One
more thing.

If
you connect the controller wirelessly, remember this; that you can’t charge the
Pro Controller while it’s paired via Bluetooth. The Pro Controller has
exceptional battery life, roughly 40-plus hours on a full charge. So charging
it for about 5- 12 hours before play is not a bad idea!

The
Bluetooth connection can connect and disconnect and is easily interrupted by
interfering devices, especially when playing with the Joy-Con Controllers. If
you’ve had connectivity issues with your left Joy-Con on Switch, you may run
into similar problems on other devices.

Make
sure there are no physical obstructions between you holding the Joy-Con and the
PC...even if your little sister climbs into your lap. Finally, aside from Steam
games, the Joy-Cons and Pro Controller support older DirectInput API.

Thursday, July 19, 2018

“Sagicor
Bank is committed to always finding new and innovative ways to improve our
clients' lives and with the launch of SWYPE, not only are we having a direct
impact on the growth and development of the SME sector, we are also helping to
build the economy”

Sagicor Bank CEO
Chorvelle Johnson commenting on the launch of the SWYPE

Jamaica
will not be the same again as Mobile money now has a more pragmatic competitor.

The
machine accepts MasterCard, Visa and Multilink cards. It connects via Bluetooth
with any Android smartphone or tablet and transactions are handle via the free mcsPAY
App available for download in the Google Play Store.

Then
you just follow the instructions as laid out in in their handy SWYPE
User Guide located on their dedicated SYWPE Webpage.
It you prefer, you can watch the video below and learn more.

Clearly
this will initially accept Sagicor Bank Debit and Credit Cards, but hopefully,
they’ll expand that to any Debit or Credit Card on the Multi-Link system. This
is definitely going to be a hit with both customers and business owners as
they're benefit from the ease and convenience of completing a sales transaction
without cash.

With
the security and convenience of cashless becoming a global trend, Sagicor Bank
had to be a part of the action as Sagicor Bank CEO Chorvelle Johnson points
out, quote: “As we become even more modernised and technological advancements
improve, Sagicor Bank remains on top of its game with respect to providing
products and services of the highest quality for our clients”.

It'll
be of greatest benefit to MSME (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) as they
can now handle Credit and Debit Card Transactions instead of just Cash
transactions as pointed out by Chorvelle Johnson, quote: “For example, a large
distribution company with sales agents or a food stall operator could use this
device to increase their earning potential by accepting card payments.
Individuals can also apply for Sagicor Bank’s SWYPE;
however, specific terms and conditions apply”.

Merchants
subscribing to use the device will pay a fee per transaction, as well as a
monthly rental fee, which is automatically deducted from the merchant's account
at the beginning of every month.

The advantage of SWYPE –
Established Credit and Debit Card usage in Jamaica

SWYPE does
have a leg up on QUISK or GK MPay; the customer merely has to use their Credit
or Debit Card.

Credit
and Debit Card usage, albeit small, is already well established in the banking
world and among their many customers who use this convenient form of cash. It
also a lot easier to meet the customer half-way, being as it is less cumbersome
and potentially more affordable and easier to set up than a QUISK or GK MPay
account.

It
however, lacks the security of blockchain, as your Debit and Credit Card can
still be stolen, one they have the tech to intercept Bluetooth Transmissions and
thereby capture your Debit or Credit Card.

Still,
this is mutually beneficial to MSME such as Taximen and potentially Vendors,
why may decide the learning curve is worth the risk in order to increase their
sales.

Tuesday, July 17, 2018

“A
good package should provide a barrier against dirt and other contaminants, thus
keeping the product clean. It should protect food against physical and chemical
damage, for example, the harmful effects of air, light, insects, and rodents,
and it should help the customers to identify the food, instruct them how to use
it correctly as well as inform them when it was manufactured and when it
expires,”

Director of the
Standards Division at the BSJ Mrs. Julia Bonner on packaging standards for rice
and flour

So
you though only sugar was getting a makeover. The BSJ (Bureau of Standards
Jamaica) isn't done yet as they seek to standardize packaging for many common
Jamaican staples.

But
first, a look at the packaging of sugar, which is much improved and which I
must say is quite welcome. So how did the packaging of sugar get standardized?
Will it be the same for rice, flour and cornmeal?

The
Jamaican Government had introduced new packaging standards for granulated and
brown sugar in July 2017. Since July 1, 2017, all sugar sold to the public has
to be:

1.Packaged

2.Sealed

3.Labelled

This
prevents retailers from distributing sugar in unlabelled polythene bags, a
tradition that many shopkeepers started and larger retailers and supermarkets
followed.

Now,
the sugar must be bagged at approved plants and conform to labeling standards.
The new rules require that packagers be registered with the National Compliance
and Regulatory Authority, a unit of Bureau of Standards Jamaica.

So
far only six (6) companies have been approved so far to package sugar bound for
the retail market:

1.Caribbean
Depot for Jamaica Gold, Golden Grove, and Eve brands on behalf of their
respective owners

Not
only must all packagers be registered with the NCRA, but as of the revised
mandatory standards for brown cane sugar, gazetted on December 30, 2016, which
outlined the requirements for labelling, packaging and safety of sugar,
possible fines and prison terms are possible.

The
Standards Act provides for a fine of $3 million and 12 months in prison for
non-compliance with the labelling and packaging standards for sugar sold in the
retail market.

The
new packaging, which is more secure than just weighing and placing the sugar
into plastic bags, also give information on the product as follows:

1.Product
name

2.Brand
name

3.Net
content

4.Name
and address of manufacturers

5.Name
and address of distributors

6.Name
and address of importers

7.Name
and address of vendors

8.Storage
conditions

9.Country
of origin

10.Lot
identification

11.Date
markings

12.Instructions
for use

This
information has greatly improved the traceability of the product. So how has
this affected the sugar producers? And when will these changes begin to affect
rice, flour and cornmeal? And are other products commonly eaten by Jamaicans
soon to have their packaging standardized?

The
distributors of bulk sugar experience a 60% increase in demand for the packaged
0.5 kg of sugar in the new packaging. These main distributors of bulk sugar
were as follows:

1.JCPS

2.Seprod's
Golden Grove Limited

3.Pan
Caribbean Sugar Company Limited

JCPS
and Seprod are also suppliers of their own branded retail sugar, with JCPS's
retail sugar being packaged by Caribbean Depot Limited. JCPS represents the
following sugar factories

1.Monymusk

2.Appleton

3.Worthy
Park

JCPS
accounts for 55% of the Sugar cane crop and as such get 55% of the market for
local sales. At this point a diagram is in order to tie all this info together.

So
will it be the same for rice, flour and cornmeal? What other products will
possibly have to be properly packaged and labled?

BSJ is Standardizing
product packaging - Flour, Rice, Cornmeal and other product on their Radar

A
similar relationship between Manufacturers of Rice, Flour and Cornmeal,
Packaging companies and Brands would have to be developed to make the process
go smoothly.

Of
course, consumers will have to be encouraged to buy the packaged products
instead of those doled out in polythene plastic bags as emphasized by Director
of the Standards Division at the BSJ Mrs. Julia Bonner, quote: “Once the BSJ
develops the new standard requirements for these items, it will become mandated
through the operations of the National Compliance & Regulatory Authority
()”.

The
BSJ and the NCRA are deliberating on the technical standards that need to be
implemented to make Rice, Flour and Cornmeal packaged just as safely and
traceably as sugar. Consumers will be encouraged to only purchase properly
packaged and labled products.

So
look out for not only Rice, Flour and Cornmeal to get packaging on part with
sugar but also the following products:

These
are just a few and the last bit with the vendors would require them to form a
manufacturing cooperative in order to brand and produce their own packaging.
But based on the popularity of packaged sugar, I suspect that Jamaican adoption
won't be much of a problem.